A Long Island School Board’s Trans Bathroom Ban Draws Fierce Community Pushback

Update: On April 20th, the NYCLU won its challenge to Massapequa’s transphobic bathroom policy, as well as a similar policy in nearby Locust Valley. State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa struck down the polices on the grounds that they violate state law and ordered the districts to allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

On September 9th, 2025, members of the Massapequa Board of Education on Long Island voted unanimously to adopt a resolution barring students from using the bathrooms that match their gender identity.

Board members claim the ban stems from Trump’s threats to invoke Title IX in order to pull funding from school districts that uphold trans students’ rights. But it’s clearly an attempt to score political points at the expense of incredibly vulnerable students whose safety and dignity board members are supposed to protect.

The NYCLU is actively fighting this ban, and we’re not alone. For almost six months, a growing group of community members have attended every single board meeting to express support for trans students and draw attention to the Board’s pattern of filing frivolous, ideologically-motivated lawsuits.

As public comments from board meetings show, many Massapequa residents are unwilling to sacrifice the rights of trans students to serve an agenda that has nothing to do with education.

Below is a sampling of what teachers, parents, alumni and other community members have said in support of trans students.

This Policy is Against State Law

“The Board will say the President’s executive order says gender is defined by sex at birth, but an executive order is not law. It is guidance for federal agencies, and the school is not a federal agency. Massapequa is an entity of the state of New York, and under New York law, both the Gender Expression and Non-Discrimination Act and the Dignity for All Students Act, it is illegal to discriminate against students based on gender identity or expression.” – Parent, November 13, 2025

“Having a trans kid quietly change in the corner of a locker room poses no danger. But telling them and the whole community that they don’t have rights and that we can ignore the law when it makes us uncomfortable can place so many kids in grave danger.” – Parent and child psychologist, September 25, 2025

What are the Board’s True Priorities?

“You say you want to protect students. You have put us at risk of losing state funding, which will harm every student. … You had a chance to lead but you chose to fight students in the district that you were elected to serve instead of leading.” – Parent, October 21 , 2025

“I’m deeply concerned about the decision to allocate district funds towards fighting state laws rather than supporting our students. … Every dollar we spend on these litigations is money taken away from the classrooms, from the teachers, and from creating an environment where each student feels safe, valued and supported.” – Resident, September 25, 2025

Did Anyone Consult Those Impacted Most by This Policy?

“You feel your children are somehow in danger [from] other children who simply want to live their lives authentically. … I’m wondering if you were to poll the students, would the students speak out and say that? … Maybe if some of you were willing to listen to your children, who are much more empathetic and open-minded, you would find out your children are not afraid of transgender people in the bathrooms or in the locker rooms.” – Parent and teacher, October 9, 2025

“You talk about how much it pains you to be portrayed as hateful. But what else do you call [it] when we ignore the student body impacted by this bathroom ban litigation with this board having made no effort to actually reach out to the GSA prior to the decision, and [saying] how ignoring their concerns is a ‘compromise.’ … I want better for this community. I want better than what it did for me as an openly queer student and for these kids.” – Recent alum, February 5, 2026

Gender-Neutral Bathrooms Are Not a Solution for Everyone

“Many well-meaning people say, ‘They have [a] gender neutral option.’ For some trans individuals, that might be a reasonable one. For some, it continues to marginalize and alienate them, and even singles them out and makes them targets.” – Parent and child psychologist, January 8, 2026

“If the school’s solution to the bathroom issue is to force a gender expansive student to use the limited number of inconvenient or inaccessible single-stall bathrooms located in the school, understand that policy not only outs that student, but reinforces the idea that transgender people are somewhat harmful and should be kept separate from everyone else.” – Parent of an alum, January 8, 2026

You Think the Boys Will Do What?

“If a student, staff member, or any other person entered a bathroom or a locker room to harass or assault another student, it would not be because of a state guideline. It would be because that individual chose to commit harm. What concerns me most is the message that this is framing. It implies that our boys cannot be trusted, that our girls are inherently vulnerable, and that some students are acceptable collateral damage in a broader debate. I don’t believe that reflects how this community truly views its children.” – Resident, January 22, 2026

Trans Kids Have and Always Will Exist

“Health class failed to teach us is the spectrum of both gender identity and biological sex. Biological sex is not black and white, same as human bodies are not black and white. … You’re actually failing students and not teaching them real science or real empathy.” – Alum, November 13, 2025

“It’s saddening as a trans person to hear this policy seriously proposed in my community. … Unlike most people in this room, my life was impacted by policies similar to these. … What you’re going for is control. It’s not about safety, it’s about control.” – Resident, October 9, 2025

What Are We Teaching Students?

“I’m the proud mother of a transgender daughter, and given what is happening here in Massapequa I am so grateful that she graduated from high school five years ago. These last several board meetings have been eye-opening, a bit shocking, and very sad. … Adults have an essential responsibility to teach children tolerance and understanding towards LGBTQIA+ people, not only because it helps create a kinder and more inclusive society, but because it shapes how our children treat others throughout their lives.” – Parent of an alum, November 13, 2025